How to stage your very own circus.

Step right up to the most amazing show on earth... yours. Backyard Circus shows kids how to host their own big top performance with a little imagination and a whole lot of fun.

Cheerful instructions and dynamic illustrations take young readers through everything step by step: from gathering talent (do you call every kid on the block or just use stuffed toys?), to creating costumes (baggy pajamas are a hoot -- or how about dad's old neckties?), to organizing acts that astound and entertain. Kids will have a ball discovering there's no biz like showbiz.

Other show-stopping features include:

• Tips on clowning
• Simple magic tricks
• Safe acrobatics
• Instructions for juggling
• Circus lingo
• How to make stilts
• Creating your own megaphone.

Sprinkled with groaner jokes for clowning around and packed with circus-lore sidebars for enquiring ringmasters, Backyard Circus is any kid's guide to joining the circus without ever running away.